Page 87 of Back In the Shadows

My eyes narrowed at him. “Leave her out of this. Whatever you want, this is between you and me.”

“Fair enough. I truly have no use for Ella. That was a kidnapping gone wrong, and only a tool to draw you out.Unfortunately, Xavier fell in love with her and got careless. Ella was supposed to have been delivered to me a few days after being held at Xavier’s, but he begged to keep her longer. I agreed, then she got smart and escaped his home.”

“You mean the basement and house that’s an exact replica of where I grew up and you murdered my parents? What the fuck is that all about?”

“I know you have a lot of questions, and it would be best if I just started at the beginning. Would you like something to eat or drink? You’re going to be here for a while. It wouldn’t be right of me not to offer my guest some refreshments.”

I clenched my jaw and then forced myself to relax so Sebastian wouldn’t fucking pop out for a visit at the wrong damn time. “You’re fucking nuts too.”

He grinned at me, my words having zero effect on him.

“If I were you, I would want answers to why my parents died and who killed them. You were young, but I saw the darkness inside you. It was easy to mold you while I helped you kill your father. The fury that came out of you toward that man was intense. If you want to call it murderous, that’s a more accurate description.” He arched a salt and pepper eyebrow at me. “But the truth is, he’s not your biological father.”

My heart pounded against my ribcage like a drummer gone mad, matching the beat of my racing thoughts.

“You didn’t kill your real father, so if you have any guilt left over it, let it go.” He waved as though he swatted his words away.

“I don’t understand. Of course they were my parents. I have memories with them when I was little, and in that home.”

“You were with them at a very young age, but you and your brother were separated when you were stolen.”

His words struck me like a physical blow, causing a whirlwind of emotions to flood through my body. I was torn between the anger and hurt at being lied to by people whoI thought were my family, and the overwhelming hope and disbelief that my real parents may still be alive. How could I trust a single thing I had ever been told? I needed answers, but how did I know that the Pied Piper wasn’t lying to me as well?

You can’t believe anything he says. We’ll have Dope research it all.

For some reason, Sebastian’s voice in my head helped ground me.

“Who is my brother?”

The older man draped his arm on the back of the couch, more comfortable than he should be.

“Xavier is your brother, Death. Same mother and father, and you were both stolen by the same person.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. I have a kook for a brother.”

“Yes, it’s another reason that I want the boy back all in one piece.”

“He’s alive but has two very broken knees. Not sure he’ll walk again. He hurt Ella, and no man can get away without suffering consequences of touching what’s mine even if he is my brother.” Xavier was alive for now, but his future was uncertain. But at that moment, another thought consumed me.

The Pied Piper’s words lingered in my mind like a festering wound, each one stabbing at my sense of self. The idea of tracking down my parents and uncovering the truth sent a chill down my spine, yet an insatiable hunger for answers burned within me. After all this time, I had accepted that my parents were dead, but now, if he wasn’t lying, his information had the power to change my life.

“Who are my real parents? Are they alive? Did they learn who stole us?”

“You were almost two and Xavier was a baby when you were taken. Not long after, your parents got into a bad train accident. They didn’t live through it.”

“They were murdered too?” All I wanted was answers and to finally put the past behind me.

“Yes, just not by my people.”

I didn’t miss what he said, and I wondered how many people he had working for him. Clearly the men who took Ella were some of them. I smirked. After I’d dealt with them, the Pied Piper had four fewer on his team. “Okay, so let’s say this shit is true. How did I end up with the Fletchers and what did they do to you?”

“That’s where this gets a bit more complicated. Are you sure you don’t want something to drink before I continue?”

44

ELLA

Irritated wasn’t the right word for what I was feeling for Xavier at the moment, but I was done being played. Plus, I wanted to find my husband. Something felt off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Stepping backward, I spun on my heel to leave Xavier alone with his pathetic thoughts.

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